Topic: Push Square Formula 1 thread - F1

My word what an entertaining qualifying to wake up to on a lazy Sunday morning. Some garages are in for a crazy busy morning having apparently been up since about 4:30 Brazil time. Not sure if we are definitely going to have a full 20 cars ready for the race in a few hours.

@BearsEatBeets 100%. Especially those teams with both cars out.

Also wonder if Hamilton be able to stay ahead and block off Verstappen? And then Sainz in 14th, Piastri back in 8th. They really need to Maximise their points difference over Max to kick start the drivers championship which is almost on life support. Could be thrilling. Sadly I will be on a train at the 3pm start time and hoping 4G/5G holds out

@themightyant With the grid so mixed as it is we could be in for some great battles all over the pecking order. Would love some multi-lap battles between Lewis and Max. How long is your train journey as the race actually starts at 3:30? Fingers crossed for your signal anyway 🤞
Oh yeah and not seen the forecast for the race yet but hope we get a full race in and don't get a half-points scenario. If it does go to plan for Lando that would be too gutting.

What an utterly bonkers race! I’ve only followed most of it via radio and live text but it was incredible, I’ll look forward to rewatching this.

Hats off to Max, a masterclass from him and RB, will go down as one of his best drives and with it realistically, if not mathematically, the title. Not had a win since June and now this. Fair play.

Also Alpine have lucked out here, double podium and catapulted from 9th in the constructors to 6th, meanwhile Williams punished for the DNFs. A weekend of change.

@themightyant Absolutely crazy race. Just wish the rain had eased of a little bit as it seemed that no-one could get an overtake done (apart from Max) unless someone made a mistake.
Monumental result for Alpine. The battle for those final few spots in the constructors is going to be fierce for the rest of the season.
For me though they need to look at the red flag tyre swap rule. The whole podium was basically the drivers who held out and due to the red flag didn't need to make a pit-stop. I get letting drivers change tyres in the situation as it can be a safety issue but maybe there should still be a minimum 1 pit stop (which is the intended purpose of the 2 tyre compound rule). Still, at the end of the day it's a matter of luck and a red flag hurt Max in qualifying but helped him in the race.
No take away from Max's drive though. To make up so many places in the first few laps was amazing and he dominated once in he got the clear road at the end.
This was the last chance for Lando to close it up but that's it locked up for Max now. Max could sit out 2 of the 3 final races and still probably take it. At least there are some good battles still in place for the constructors (at both end).

Curious to see what happens with the investigation to the start procedure. Only the first 4 seem to be being investigated (and did lead everyone off) but most did drive off with only the final 4/5 waiting a long time. With no apparent precedent it will be interesting to see how it is punished.

@BearsEatBeets seems like there are a lot of potential changes to scores with both Mercedes apparently having their tire pressures changed which isn’t allowed, if so that seems open and shut. Disqualification maybe? Not sure. IF that’s the case George may be thankful he didn’t win it this time, as he looked like doing at one point before the red flag, only to have the win taken away again. That would suck.

Then there’s Lando, who has clearly not followed the rules… but everyone who has followed him, which is everyone, has ALSO not followed the rules, that makes it very hard to just pick one to punish, it’s not an excuse to say I was following the other guy.

Then there’s several cars in the wrong place on the grid.

This bonkers race might have legs and the result still keep changing.

As for red flag tire changes, I don’t like it either, said that many times in the past, but we understand why it’s there and in the past it has led to some fun races with the field all jumbled up and unexpected winners (not quite today) which I think I is probably good for the sport overall.

@themightyant I heard about the Merc tyre pressure thing during the race but admit I was distracted when a lot of the post race stuff was being discussed. I thought heard Bernie say something about it being alright to do something with the tyre but not once it is actually on the car which is what they apparently did. Like you say it sounds like a black and white but much like the start shenanigans I have no clue what the punishment for such things are.
Could be a lot to read about later today/tomorrow. I check on the BBC sport page for a lot of stuff but they are not always the best for being up to date with this type of thing. Might keep an eye on the official F1 website.

Fascinating qualifying. Mercedes looked strong all weekend and the team to beat. It's an erratic car but often performs in the cold, on fast tracks. It always looked like one of them would get pole.

Well done George, Mr Saturday strikes again, will be interesting to see if he can convert that to his third win or if their race pace, or his race craft, isn't quite there.

Lewis will be kicking himself, many cars were going off during the weekend but to do it twice in Q3, and not put in a representative lap, is uncharacteristic. It will, of course, invite questions over whether he's still got it, the errors seem to have creeped up, and if he has (very slightly) dipped off. I am fascinated to see how he does at Ferrari. Charles is one of the fastest over one lap, but I feel makes a few too many mistakes to be in the very highest top tier, but he's ever so close behind.

Behind them it was close to call between Ferrari, McLaren and as always Max - Checo doing what Checo does this year and has almost certainly lost them the Constructors title. I'm intrigued to see what Red Bull do here for 2025, can they let this go on, seemingly to keep Max appeased?

Gasly with an epic lap to go P3, and Tsunoda and Hulkenberg both overperformed. Well done.

I hope Colapinto is OK, that was a massive shunt, but you also have to feel for the Williams mechanics. Colapinto looks fast, but he's got to get his limits in check as this is getting expensive. Seeing the exhausted mechanic with his hands on his head and tears in his eyes was a clear insight into the not so glamorous reality of F1 behind the scenes.

@themightyant yeah it was a good quali, worth getting up at silly o'clock for. Some great performances, especially from Gasly. It will be interesting to see if the car genuinely has the pace to stay there or did he just do the perfect lap at the peak moment. Outstanding lap regardless.

I'm curious if Red Bull think the constructors is too hard now and would rather the extra development allowance next year seeing as they have the Driver title wrapped up. I personally think with 2 races to go after this they should demote Perez down to the sister team and give both Yuki and Lawson 1 race each to see what they can do. Give themselves more data to make an informed decision for next season. I can't see any scenario Perez is in that seat next season.

It did sound like Colapinto took some massive G's possibly meaning that it's not definite he will be passed to drive tomorrow. That's if their overworked mechanics can get it fixed in time. You're right, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of those mechanics are counting the days to the end of the season and some quality time off. With no seat at Williams next year I wonder if Colapinto has been trying just a bit too hard to impress and maybe see if he can pinch the final unconfirmed seat at RB for next season.

Also I think Aston Martin is deliberately putting in minimum effort with their car. Since they have signed Newey I think they have decided they would rather get as much wind tunnel/development tokens as possible rather than a bit more cash for a higher position.

Fascinating race, worth getting up for.

Congratulations to Max a worthy world champion in 2024, his consistency especially on weekends when he isn’t the fastest car continues to impress. Hopefully his title rivals can make it closer next year, but the truth is no one else is maximising their points as often. And while Seven drivers with at least 2 wins this season is brilliant for the sport, it also means his rivals are sharing the spoils making it hard to compete for the title.

Well done to George too who dominated from the start and had more in the tank. Great recovery drive from Lewis, again will be kicking himself about yesterday’s errors as it seemed he had the pace to win.

Carlos rounding out the podium is doing everything right in what is a difficult situation, I feel he’s raised his game since he lost his Ferrari seat. Driving with a point to prove.

Gasly unlucky and that leaves Alpine behind Haas.

Fun race. Now to get a bit more sleep!

Piastri put to the back and Charles on the charge has made this more interesting, but if Lando wins it’s immaterial, Mclaren would still win the title. I wonder if we will see any attempted hijinx if they get close to Lando after a pit stop? I doubt is as Carlos and Charles are clean drivers but we’ve seen some uncharacteristic final day moves when titles are on the line before.

Any fans watching this new Livery reveal event? So far words that spring to mind to describe it are overblown, cringe and pointless. I feel like a lot of the drivers and team principals are embarrassed and eager for to be over. At least Jack Whitehall is injecting some humour into it to keep it just about watchable.

@BearsEatBeets yes I watched it and MOSTLY agree. However I prefer this event to the normal individual team reveals. And at least they are just calling it a livery reveal and not pretending it’s the 2025 cars.
Just glad F1 is back. Fingers crossed the season starts as close as it ended and one team hasn’t done something brilliant to lead by a mile.

@BearsEatBeets You watching any of pre-season testing? Always difficult / impossible to tell actual pace of cars in pre-season, but it seems on initial look... if they are being honest of course, that they are still all quite close. Which with limited rule changes you would expect. Fingers crossed.

The biggest change is the FiA's very late U-turn on flexi-front-wings which doesn't come into effect until Spain (race 9) so we could see a change in fortunes mid-season, especially for teams that bet heavily on this as part of their design strategy in the Winter and have been a bit shafted with the cost cap.

The other fascinating aspect is who is saving their budget for 2026 and the big rule shift. Williams seems likely (reading between the lines of Sainz and Vowles statements), Hass another one, but perhaps surprisingly Red Bull seem to have a very similar car to last year.

All interesting sub-plots to another F1 season!

@BearsEatBeets or anyone watch any of the practice sessions today? I'm excited for qualifying to see where they ACTUALLY sit and then the race to see if the one lap pace transfers to long stints. Could be a fascinating season. It's also such a long enough season and these cars are so temperamental that unless one is a long way above the others we should have plenty of competition/winners. Fingers crossed.

EDIT: was also surprised that several cars still had Aero-rakes and flo-vis paint on them in practice, including Red Bull, suggesting they still don't quite understand the aero of their car.

Hey @themightyant, sorry only just realised I never responded to your previous posts. I put one of the preseason tests on in the background whilst doing stuff but didn't really follow much other than to watch Matt & Tommy's youtube summary after the fact. Same for the practices. I've been looking forward to having the season finally kick off though, like you say I think it has potential to be a really close and exciting this season.
It's interesting about Williams seeming to be saving money towards next season because they have looked quite good from what I can tell of the sessions so far.

Sounds like we are in for a hot qualifying followed by a wet race so that should make things even more spicy.

Only downside is the mega early start times to kick it off. I've just set my alarm for 4:45 and will skip most of the build up and make do with a little bit before lights go green at 5. I haven't fully decided what silly time I will get up on Sunday for the race. Initials thoughts were about half hour before the start, to catch the just the grid walk, but might go for the full build up as it is the first race.
How about yourself? Doing the early wake up to catch it all live?

@BearsEatBeets No worries dude. But glad to chat F1.

Yes it seems I was dead wrong about Williams they look fast and will compete with the top 4 teams if they don’t get the most out of their machines. (They were sandbagging in the chat!)

Red bull, well Max anyway, has found something at the last moment as usual.

I didn’t get up at 5 and won’t tomorrow but I’ll watch the recap on Sky at 7:30. Just watching full Qualifying replay now, into Q2, and seen Antonelli, who had a ride height issue get knocked out in Q3. Liam Lawson too.

I was going to get up early but stayed up late finishing a game. I’m out with friends all day today watching the rugby triple header. 7:30 full race replay will be fine. I’ll catch up later.

Live text in Q2. Hamilton spun in qualifying? When does that happen? A cynic might suggest that as Ferrari had just messed up timing their drivers, leaving them exposed on an old set, that spinning and giving a yellow flag for everyone else might have saved them… hmm

Either way Ferrari seems a bit off the pace. Bring on Q1

After Q3: I love the first weekend of the season, first qualifying and first race, we start to see where everyone actually sits.

Obviously in the modern age of long seasons, cost caps and fine margins this can change race to race, session to session depending on weather, or over the course of the season. But for now:

McLaren does seem to be top. 4 tenths up on Verstappen is not easy and quite a statement. P1 & P2.

Always hard to tell where Red Bull actually is because Max always gets the most out of the car, or very close to it. The most consistent driver on the grid. Lawson made errors.

Mercedes looked quick, but George still almost 5 tenths off the lead. Kimi looked fast all weekend but had an issue.

Ferrari dropped off. Rare for Leclerc and Hamilton. 7 and 9 tenths off, though both drivers had errors in Q3. Hamilton always looked slower than Leclerc, but that’s probably expected over 1 lap. (EDIT: Matt and Tommy had an interesting idea/cope that they may have been on wet setup, ahead of the race. That would explain the sudden drop off, but unlikely)

Williams have looked fast all weekend. Albon with a stonking lap for 6th, Sainz had to bail but still 10th.

Yuki Tsunoda and Racing Bulls… where did that come from? Well played for 5th. (Edit: just saw he got a big tow from Lando but still, inpressive lap) Hadjar 11th. Solid.

Aston Martin looked better than I thought, I thought they might be 9th fastest car but ended P12 & 13. Solid from Stroll, just 3 hundredths of Alonso.

Alpine Gasly continues to impress with 9th, Doohan 14th. Solid.

Sauber, car currently looks like a dog but Bortoletto with an epic save and beating Hulk by a second.

Less said about Haas the better. Saving for 2026? Bearman had a horrible couple of days. Ocon looked slow.

Now to see if any of that rings true in the race, and how it evolves over the season.

My initial thought is they are a bit further apart than I hoped. But it’s just one qualifying of one race.

And now a bit of fun what’s your prediction for the whole season? I meant to do this BEFORE qualifying. We’ll be wrong but may be interesting to look back at the end of the year.

Here’s my drivers championship prediction.

1. VER
2. NOR
3. LEC
4. PIA
5. HAM
6. RUS
7. ANT
8. SAI
9. LAW
10. ALB
11. TSU
12. ALO
13. GAS
14. HAD
15. STR
16. BOR
17. HLK
18. OCO
19. DOO
20. BEA

I think Lando and Piastri will share too many points and like Hamilton and Alonso in 2007 will allow consistent Max to steal the title.

Mercedes looked fast today but I think they will be up and down over the season again, hence below Fer.

Constructors

1. McLaren
2. Ferrrari
3. Red Bull
4. Mercedes
5. Williams
6. Racing Bulls
7. Alpine
8. Aston Martin
9. Sauber
10. Haas

The only things that’s certain is most of that will be wrong. lol. But I look forward to seeing how it evolves.